Harris is running for the Democratic presidential nomination
after President Joe Biden announced on Sunday he was stepping
aside.
A campaign spokesperson for Harris declined to comment.
Holder did not respond to a request for comment.
Harris is aiming to wrap up the Democratic nomination in the
coming days and the selection of a running mate is one of the
most important early decisions she can make.
Biden selected her as his running mate in 2020 and said in his
letter announcing his candidacy withdrawal on Sunday that it was
the best decision he had made.
Holder served as attorney general for President Barack Obama for
six years and was the first African American to hold the
country's top law enforcement job.
His involvement in the vetting process may reassure Democrats
that a longtime political and legal hand is helping to ensure
Harris' pick, should she win the nomination, is free of major
conflicts. Any choice needs also to be suited to help her beat
Republican Donald Trump and potentially to assume the presidency
some day if she were to triumph in November but then at some
point be unable to complete her duties.
Potential names that have been floated as possible running mates
for Harris include Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Michigan
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona,
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and North Carolina Governor Roy
Cooper.
Holder is a civil rights advocate and chairs the National
Democratic Redistricting Committee, which works to oppose
Republican gerrymandering - efforts by politicians to redraw
voting maps in U.S. states to give their party an advantage. The
group argues that Republicans have used the power of
"redistricting" to disenfranchise voters, especially people of
color.
Harris is also a voting rights advocate and took on that issue
as one of her portfolios when she first became Biden's vice
president, but her efforts did not lead to major reforms.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Jarrett RenshawEditing by Nick
Zieminski and Rosalba O'Brien)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All
rights reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.

|
|